4/8/26

ROCHESTER, NY – Lackawanna College baseball hung on late in game two to secure a crucial doubleheader split on Wednesday afternoon against Monroe CC in New York. The Falcons fell in game one, 7-3, before winning 8-4 in game two.
 
Lackawanna (10-19-1) fell behind early in game one and couldn't recover, as the home Tribunes (14-6) scored seven runs across the first three innings and held the Falcons to just three hits all game. Lackawanna was wasteful, leaving eight runners on base and failing to take advantage of nine walks as a team.
 
Monroe scored four runs in the first, scoring the first run of the game on a wild pitch with two on, and then a second run on an RBI single. An error let another run score with one out, and a wild pitch with two outs let the fourth run cross.
 
An RBI ground out from Jose Soquiel (Hazleton, PA) scored a run for the Falcons in the top of the second, but the Tribunes responded in the bottom frame with a two-out single that scored a run to make it 5-1, Monroe, after two innings.
 
Another RBI ground out scored a runner for the Falcons in the top of the third, and Lackawanna had two runners on with two away, but a fly out ended the potential rally. Monroe responded once again in the bottom of the third, scoring a run on a wild pitch and then an error on a ground out that pushed the Monroe lead to 7-2.
 
Neither team broke through in the fourth inning, with the Falcons grounding into a double play in the top half and the Tribunes wasting a two-out single in the home half. Lackawanna added a run with a fielder's choice in the top of the fifth, cutting it to 7-3, and they had the bases loaded with two outs, but a strikeout stranded the runners, and Lackawanna never challenged again.
 
Starter Billy O'Neill (Holland, PA) took the loss, giving up five runs on five hits in two innings. Patrick Genco (Lutherville, MD) pitched well in relief, striking out four in two innings of scoreless action. Sean Moore (Philadelphia, PA) had two of the three hits, while Julian Montez (Westfield, NJ) had the other base knock in a pinch-hit role. Mark Zuppo (Garnet Valley, PA) scored a pair of runs.
 
Lackawanna faired much better in game two, scoring five runs in the fourth inning and then two crucial runs late to give the Falcons just enough of a cushion to grab the win.
 
The Falcons hit the front in the top of the second inning, using a two-out double from Julian Abreu (Philadelphia, PA) to score the first run of the contest. Starter Brant Barilaro (Monaca, PA) managed to keep the tribunes off the board in the home half, pitching around two-straight walks to keep the Tribunes scoreless.
 
Into the fourth, with the Falcons still ahead 1-0, Hunter Austra (Larksville, PA) and Montez hit back-to-back singles to start the inning. A one-out bunt single from Abreu loaded the bases, and a walk, followed by a sac bunt, scored two runs to make it 3-0, Falcons. Another walk loaded the bases, and, after a pitching change, one more forced in a run to push it to 4-0. Jake Virbitsky (Media, PA) singled to left to score the fifth run, and another bases-loaded walk, this time to Austra, made it 6-0, Falcons, after 3.5 innings.
 
Barilaro stranded two more runners in the fourth, but the Tribunes finally broke through in the bottom of the fifth. A one-out walk, followed by a stolen base, set up an RBI single to center to get Monroe on the scoreboard. The Falcons went to the pen, and two straight wild pitches put a runner on third. A walk put runners on the corners, and a passed ball scored the second run of the inning. A triple cut the lead to 6-3, and a two-out single on the infield scored that runner and made it 6-4 after five innings.
 
Lackawanna got some important insurance in the top of the seventh inning. Virbitsky reached on a leadoff single, and was lifted for a pinch runner. The speedy Matt Cichocki (Bridgewater, NJ) stole second, and a walk to Austra put two on. After a passed ball pushed the runners to second and third, Montez lifted a single to right field, scoring the pair and making it 8-4, Falcons, heading into the bottom frame.
 
Jacob Amador (Boulder, CO) came on to close out the seventh, striking out a pair, giving up a two-out double, and then inducing a ground out to snag the doubleheader split.
 
Barilaro pitched 4.1 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and five walks for his second win of the season. Virbitsky went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Montez had a pair of hits and two RBIs. Abreu had two hits, including the only extra-base knock in game two, and Austra scored a pair of runs and drew two walks.
 
The Falcons are up to ten wins this season and will be back to Region XIX Division II play on Friday, April 10^th, with a single nine-inning contest against County College of Morris. First pitch is set for 1:00pm ET in Randolph, NJ. It's the first of three games between the two squads, with a doubleheader following on Saturday, April 11^th, in Scranton, with the first game starting at 12:00pm ET at Scranton HS baseball field.